[CarMan77]

Originally Posted by X5_Mike

Recently bought this 2019 X5 40i in preparation for a growing family. I'll be sure to post some better photos when I have the opportunity to detail it properly.

Congrats on the new ride and your expanding family!

[Ninefourteener]

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[X5 45e]

Originally Posted by Ninefourteener

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Nice tuning!

Do you have spacers on your wheels? I saw your legal comments on the drive recorder. Did you know spacers are illegal in Belgium?

[JoseSportM]

Originally Posted by Ninefourteener

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Such a car deserves decent wheels

[Ninefourteener]

Originally Posted by X5 45e

Nice tuning!

Do you have spacers on your wheels? I saw your legal comments on the drive recorder. Did you know spacers are illegal in Belgium?

Much like all laws in Belgium..... I could care less... lol. Yes, I have 20mm spacers on the rear, and 15mm spacers up front. Extended lugs, and custom-length wheel locks. American cars under 4 years old are not subjected to Belgian inspection. By the time it's 4 years old, we'll be back in the US.

Besides.... I bought a "beater car" to drive for 4 months while I was waiting for this one to be built/shipped. That thing was barely road-worthy. I still managed to get it through Belgian CT inspections..... twice. The guys at the inspection places are clowns, and have no idea what they are looking at. Any mechanic with even basic skills can get through inspection.

Cops? Ehhhh. Down here in Wallonia I could count on 1 hand how many cops I've seen actually "patrolling" in the past 1.5 years. They are like ghosts here. You never see them unless there's an accident. They arrive, hand out tickets, give everyone breathalyzers, and then disappear to "wherever" they go. All business here is just speed cameras. That's it. It's all about revenue collection.

[Ninefourteener]

Originally Posted by jose260gti

Such a car deserves decent wheels

Funny you should say that lol.

I'm literally calling them on the phone tomorrow. Already have the approval from the better half.... already have the money ready to go.... and already have tires, TPMs, and BBM drop links in my garage, awaiting their arrival. I even already paid for the tire installation.

Vossen HF-2 in Satin Bronze.
22x12 rear
22x10.5 front.

[JoseSportM]

Originally Posted by Ninefourteener

Funny you should say that lol.

I'm literally calling them on the phone tomorrow. Already have the approval from the better half.... already have the money ready to go.... and already have tires, TPMs, and BBM drop links in my garage, awaiting their arrival. I even already paid for the tire installation.

Vossen HF-2 in Satin Bronze.
22x12 rear
22x10.5 front.

I will also go for the vossen.

I had the vossen vfs2 on the F15. Now I will go for something new

Why you bought the links of you can in 2 min. drop the car with ISTA?

[Ninefourteener]

Originally Posted by jose260gti

I will also go for the vossen.

I had the vossen vfs2 on the F15. Now I will go for something new

Why you bought the links of you can in 2 min. drop the car with ISTA?

As with any car, when you increase the wheel diameter, and reduce the sidewall height of the tire.... it gives the "optical illusion" of greater wheel gap. Adding wider wheels accentuates it even further. I have no intention of "hellaflush-slamming" the suspension at all. That's stupid.

I do anticipate dropping the suspension about 1 inch though. I'll have to do it after the wheels arrive, because I won't be able to make an accurate guess on "how much" to drop, until I see the wheels on the actual car.

While I'm doing the whole job, I'm going to do the brake pads, and maybe even re-colr.my calipers. Not sure yet. Either way, I'm going to do the whole job at once.

[X5 45e]

Originally Posted by Ninefourteener

Much like all laws in Belgium..... I could care less... lol. Yes, I have 20mm spacers on the rear, and 15mm spacers up front. Extended lugs, and custom-length wheel locks. American cars under 4 years old are not subjected to Belgian inspection. By the time it's 4 years old, we'll be back in the US.

Besides.... I bought a "beater car" to drive for 4 months while I was waiting for this one to be built/shipped. That thing was barely road-worthy. I still managed to get it through Belgian CT inspections..... twice. The guys at the inspection places are clowns, and have no idea what they are looking at. Any mechanic with even basic skills can get through inspection.

Cops? Ehhhh. Down here in Wallonia I could count on 1 hand how many cops I've seen actually "patrolling" in the past 1.5 years. They are like ghosts here. You never see them unless there's an accident. They arrive, hand out tickets, give everyone breathalyzers, and then disappear to "wherever" they go. All business here is just speed cameras. That's it. It's all about revenue collection.

Haha you are completely right. I was just bringing it up because of your legal concern with the drive recorder. Tuning is not allowed either btw 😜.

Cars are not subjected to control the first four years in Belgium anyway unless you have a tow hook to tow heavier weights, not for a bicycle rack (no joke, I know saw your post towing your motor). Your car needs a (completely useless) technical check up before you can start using the tow hook. This is not always taken care of by the dealership. Some do others don't. If you town a heavier weight I think control every 2 years in necessary.

The problem is not the police but the insurance in case of an accident. Tuning will be hard to find in total loss but spacers are not. And once they have to pay they try anything not to.

Anyway. It looks nice and lots of fun with the extra hp's. A V8 is impossible for me to put on my company. Taxes will go over the roof but I would sure love to have one. Great sound.

[Ninefourteener]

Originally Posted by X5 45e

Haha you are completely right. I was just bringing it up because of your legal concern with the drive recorder. Tuning is not allowed either btw 😜.

Cars are not subjected to control the first four years in Belgium anyway unless you have a tow hook to tow heavier weights, not for a bicycle rack (no joke, I know saw your post towing your motor). Your car needs a (completely useless) technical check up before you can start using the tow hook. This is not always taken care of by the dealership. Some do others don't. If you town a heavier weight I think control every 2 years in necessary.

The problem is not the police but the insurance in case of an accident. Tuning will be hard to find in total loss but spacers are not. And once they have to pay they try anything not to.

Anyway. It looks nice and lots of fun with the extra hp's. A V8 is impossible for me to put on my company. Taxes will go over the roof but I would sure love to have one. Great sound.

That's actually good advice. I never even thought about insurance.

Nevertheless, the new wheels will not need spacers, so they'll be gone soon anyway.

Regarding taxes.... again, I'm lucky. I paid ZERO tax on it when I bought it. No VAT tax, no road tax... nothing. And..... I buy gasoline at US prices, not European prices, so even that isn't an issue.

I will (likely, but not 100% sure) have to pay US sales tax on it whenever I go back to the US.... but it will only be 7-9% (depending on which state I end up in).... and it will only be on the current USED value of the car at the time... NOT what it cost new.

If I had to pay 22% VAT tax, plus $4000 road taxes every year, plus European gas prices??? I would have never bought this car.

[X5 45e]

Originally Posted by Ninefourteener

That's actually good advice. I never even thought about insurance.

Nevertheless, the new wheels will not need spacers, so they'll be gone soon anyway.

Regarding taxes.... again, I'm lucky. I paid ZERO tax on it when I bought it. No VAT tax, no road tax... nothing. And..... I buy gasoline at US prices, not European prices, so even that isn't an issue.

I will (likely, but not 100% sure) have to pay US sales tax on it whenever I go back to the US.... but it will only be 7-9% (depending on which state I end up in).... and it will only be on the current USED value of the car at the time... NOT what it cost new.

If I had to pay 22% VAT tax, plus $4000 road taxes every year, plus European gas prices??? I would have never bought this car.

Yes that's our problem! Lucky you!

If you buy the car with your own company you are taxed another 15.000 euro a year personally to drive a company car privately. The CO2 is very high and this increases this tax enormously. With the 45e it is no road tax no inscription and the company tax is 3.000 a year. So kind of a now brainer. 99% of x5 are company cars of private employed owning their own company. You are probably one of the exceptions.

And a gallon for the price of a liter, nice.

You don't need a 45e.

[X5 45e]

Originally Posted by X5 45e

Yes that's our problem! Lucky you!

If you buy the car with your own company you are taxed another 15.000 euro a year personally to drive a company car privately. The CO2 is very high and this increases this tax enormously. With the 45e it is no road tax no inscription and the company tax is 3.000 a year. So kind of a now brainer. 99% of x5 are company cars of private employed owning their own company. You are probably one of the exceptions.

And a gallon for the price of a liter, nice.

You don't need a 45e.

Just one thing with the tow hook. If you didn't get the technical control needed after purchasing and you have an accident towing something it is like you had the accident with a non authorized vehicle so not insured.

Sorry back to nice pictures now.

[Ninefourteener]

Originally Posted by X5 45e

Just one thing with the tow hook. If you didn't get the technical control needed after purchasing and you have an accident towing something it is like you had the accident with a non authorized vehicle so not insured.

Sorry back to nice pictures now.

I didn't know that either. Wow.

I appreciate the advice. I think perhaps I will take it in for that tow inspection. Let me ask my local contacts first, because there "might" be some American exemption.... but if not, I'll definitely get the inspection done.

Question.... do I take it in for "only" the tow hitch to be inspected..... or are they going to inspect the whole car too? If they are going to inspect the whole car, I'll hold off on getting tint, and remove the wheel spacers.

[X5 45e]

Originally Posted by Ninefourteener

I didn't know that either. Wow.

I appreciate the advice. I think perhaps I will take it in for that tow inspection. Let me ask my local contacts first, because there "might" be some American exemption.... but if not, I'll definitely get the inspection done.

Question.... do I take it in for "only" the tow hitch to be inspected..... or are they going to inspect the whole car too? If they are going to inspect the whole car, I'll hold off on getting tint, and remove the wheel spacers.

Can't help you with that. Mine was done by the dealer I didn't go my self.

It should be the hook only. However the might check the wheels too. So maybe check it first or wait for your new tires.

Sometimes when there is a doubt the car passes easier when it's the dealer that presents it at the chech-up. It's Belgium 😉. Long time ago a dealer passed my 3 series through the official unbiased pre selling check up with tires almost without any profile left. There goes integrity.

[Auricom]

Getting back to our scheduled programming.

Rainy day, gave me an opportunity to test out my new Nikkor Z 14-30mm F4 S:

Aperture Priority 14mm, F8, 1/15s, ISO 140, auto exposure on Nikon Z 6

[JoseSportM]

Never saw this kind of modification.

[mrracer]

Just picked mine up monday!

[DCwell3er]

Originally Posted by mrracer

Just picked mine up monday!

Congrats!

[Deda]

I just saw this beauty..

[wtwo3]

Nice view of the driveway while I clean out the garage.

[chrisny]

Originally Posted by mrracer

Just picked mine up monday!

Congrats! What color is that?

[Auricom]

Originally Posted by chrisny

Congrats! What color is that?

Tanzanite Blue II